Pericallis plant named ‘Ochkeinibu’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of  Pericallis  plant named ‘Ochkeinibu’, characterized by its compact, upright and mounded plant habit; freely branching growth habit; freely flowering habit; and daisy-type inflorescences with dark violet blue-colored ray florets.

Botanical designation: Pericallis cruenta.

Cultivar denomination: ‘OCHKEINIBU’.

CROSS REFERENCED TO CLOSELY-RELATED APPLICATIONS

Title: Pericallis Plant Named ‘Ochkeibu’

Applicant: Shigeaki Ochiai

Filed: Concurrently with this application

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Pericallis plant, botanically known as Pericallis cruenta and hereinafter referred to by the name ‘Ochkeinibu’.

The new Pericallis plant is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Gose City, Nara, Japan. The objective of the breeding program is to create new compact Pericallis plants with numerous attractive flowers.

The new Pericallis plant originated from an open-pollination made by the Inventor during the spring of 2009 in Gose City, Nara, Japan of a proprietary selection of Pericallis cruenta identified as code number FC20-3-005, not patented, as the female, or seed, parent with an unknown selection of Pericallis cruenta as the male, or pollen, parent. The new Pericallis plant was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within the progeny of the stated open-pollination in a controlled greenhouse environment in Gose City, Nara, Japan during the spring of 2010.

Asexual reproduction of the new Pericallis plant by vegetative terminal cuttings in a controlled greenhouse environment in Gose City, Nara, Japan since the spring of 2010 has shown that the unique features of this new Pericallis plant are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the new Pericallis have not been observed under all possible combinations of environmental conditions and cultural practices. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environmental conditions such as temperature and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of ‘Ochkeinibu’. These characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Ochkeinibu’ as a new and distinct Pericallis plant:

-   -   1. Compact, upright and mounded plant habit.     -   2. Freely branching growth habit.     -   3. Freely flowering habit.     -   4. Daisy-type inflorescences with dark violet blue-colored ray         florets.

Plants of the new Pericallis differ from plants of the female parent selection primarily in plant habit as plants of the new Pericallis are more compact than plants of the female parent selection.

Plants of the new Pericallis can be compared to plants of Pericallis cruenta ‘Ochkeibu’, disclosed in a U.S. Plant Patent application filed concurrently. Plants of the new Pericallis and ‘Ochkeibu’ differ primarily in ray floret color as plants of ‘Ochkeibu’ have lighter violet blue-colored ray florets.

Plants of the new Pericallis can also be compared to plants of Senecio cruentus×Pericallis heritieri ‘Sunsenebu’, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 12,104. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Gose City, Nara, Japan, plants of the new Pericallis differed from plants of ‘Sunsenebu’ in the following characteristics:

-   -   1. Plants of the new Pericallis were more upright than plants of         ‘Sunsenebu’.     -   2. Plants of the new Pericallis had shorter internodes and were         denser than plants of ‘Sunsenebu’.     -   3. Plants of the new Pericallis had longer and darker         green-colored leaves than plants of ‘Sunsenebu’.     -   4. Plants of the new Pericallis and ‘Sunsenebu’ differed in ray         floret color as plants of ‘Sunsenebu’ had lighter violet         blue-colored ray florets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPH

The accompanying photograph illustrates the overall appearance of the new Pericallis plant showing the colors as true as it is reasonably possible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in the photograph may differ slightly from the color values cited in the detailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors of the new Pericallis plant.

The photograph is a side perspective view of a typical flowering plant of ‘Ochkeinibu’ grown in a container.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photograph, following observations and measurements describe plants grown during the summer in 12-cm containers in a glass-covered greenhouse in Rheinberg, Germany and under cultural practices typically used in commercial Pericallis production. During the production of the plants, day and night temperatures averaged 18° C. and light levels averaged 4,500 lux. Measurements and numerical values represent averages for typical flowering plants. Plants were pinched one time and were 20 weeks old when the photograph and description were taken. In the following description, color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart, 2001 Edition, except where general terms of ordinary dictionary significance are used.

-   Botanical classification: Pericallis cruenta ‘Ochkeinibu’. -   Parentage:     -   -   Female, or seed, parent.—Proprietary selection of Pericallis             cruenta identified as code number FC20-3-005, not patented.         -   Male, or pollen, parent.—Unknown selection of Pericallis             cruenta, not patented. -   Propagation:     -   -   Type.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.         -   Time to initiate roots, summer.—About five days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to initiate roots, winter.—About seven days at             temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, summer.—About three             weeks at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Time to produce a rooted young plant, winter.—About four             weeks at temperatures about 20° C.         -   Root description.—Fine, fibrous; typically white in color,             actual color of the roots is dependent on substrate             composition, water quality, fertilizer type and formulation,             substrate temperature and physiological age of roots.         -   Rooting habit.—Freely branching; medium density. -   Plant description:     -   -   Plant form and growth habit.—Compact, upright and mounded             plant habit; daisy-type inflorescences positioned above the             foliar plane; freely branching habit with about eight to ten             lateral branches developing per plant; dense and bushy             appearance; moderately vigorous growth habit.         -   Plant height.—About 23 cm.         -   Plant diameter.—About 23 cm.         -   Lateral branches.—Length: About 20 cm. Diameter: About 4 mm.             Internode length: About 3.1 cm. Strength: Strong. Aspect:             Upright to outwardly. Texture: Moderately pubescent. Luster:             Matte. Color: Close to 144A with speckles, close to 59A.         -   Leaf description.—Arrangement: Alternate, simple. Length:             About 6.8 cm. Width: About 7.7 cm. Shape: Reniform. Apex:             Acute. Base: Cordate. Margin: Palmately lobed; crenate to             serrate. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Sparsely             pubescent. Luster, upper and lower surfaces: Matte. Venation             pattern: Pinnate; reticulate. Color: Developing leaves,             upper surface: Close to N137A. Developing leaves, lower             surface: Close to N137B. Fully expanded leaves, upper             surface: Close to 147A; venation, close to 146C and 59A.             Fully expanded leaves, lower surface: Close to 147B;             venation, close to 147B. Petioles: Length: About 5.8 cm.             Diameter: About 3.8 mm. Texture, upper and lower surfaces:             Smooth, glabrous. Color, upper surface: Close to 59C. Color,             lower surface: Close to 146A. -   Inflorescence description:     -   -   Appearance.—Daisy-type inflorescences with lanceolate-shaped             ray florets; inflorescences arising from upper leaf axils             and positioned above the foliar plane; disc and ray florets             developing acropetally on a capitulum; inflorescences face             mostly upright; freely flowering habit with about 73             inflorescences developing per plant during the flowering             season.         -   Fragrance.—Faintly fragrant, pleasant.         -   Natural flowering season.—In Japan, plants of the new             Pericallis flower continuously during the spring; plants             begin flowering about six weeks after planting.         -   Inflorescence longevity.—Inflorescences last about two weeks             on the plant; inflorescences not persistent.         -   Inflorescence buds.—Height: About 6.1 mm. Diameter: About             5.5 mm. Shape: Ovoid. Color: Close to 144B.         -   Inflorescence size.—Diameter: About 3.7 cm. Depth (height):             About 1.35 cm. Disc diameter: About 1.3 cm.         -   Receptacles.—Height: About 7 mm. Diameter: About 1.2 cm.             Color: Close to 144A and N137B.         -   Ray florets.—Length: About 2.1 cm. Width: About 6.3 mm.             Shape: Lanceolate. Apex: Emarginate. Base: Obtuse. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Smooth, glabrous.             Luster, upper and lower surfaces: Matte. Number of ray             florets per inflorescence: About 13 arranged in a single             whorl. Color: When opening, upper surface: More purple than             close to N89A. When opening, lower surface: Longitudinally             striped, stripes, close to NN155D and N87C. Fully opened,             upper surface: More purple than close to N89A; towards the             base, close to N89C; color becoming closer to N89A with             development. Fully opened, lower surface: Longitudinally             striped, stripes, close to NN155D and N87B; colors becoming             closer to NN155D and N87A with development.         -   Disc florets.—Length: About 9 mm. Diameter: About 0.6 mm.             Shape: Tubular; apex dentate, five-pointed. Number of disc             floret per inflorescence: About 106. Texture: Pubescent.             Color, immature: Apex: Close to N89A and darker than 77A.             Mid-section: Close to 145D. Base: Close to 145C. Color,             mature: Apex: Close to N89A and darker than 79A.             Mid-section: Close to 145D. Base: Close to 145C.         -   Phyllaries.—Quantity per inflorescence: About 14 arranged in             a single whorl. Length: About 2.5 cm. Width: About 4 mm.             Shape: Ensiform. Apex: Acute. Base: Attenuate. Margin:             Entire. Texture, upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Texture,             lower surface: Slightly pubescent. Color, upper surface:             Close to N137B. Color, lower surface: Close to 137B.         -   Peduncles.—Length, terminal peduncle: About 6 cm. Length,             fourth peduncle: About 10 cm. Length, seventh peduncle:             About 13 cm. Diameter: About 2 mm. Strength: Strong. Aspect:             Mostly upright. Texture: Smooth, glabrous. Color: Close to             144A tinted with close to 79A.         -   Reproductive organs.—Androecium: Present on disc florets             only. Filament length: About 0.5 mm. Filament color: Close             to 144B and N79A. Anther length: About 1.5 mm. Anther shape:             Narrowly elliptic. Anther color: Close to 83A. Pollen             amount: Scarce to none. Pollen color: Close to 15A.             Gynoecium: Present on both ray and disc florets. Pistil             length: About 2.5 mm. Style length: About 1 mm. Style color:             Close to 145A. Stigma shape: Decurrent. Stigma color: Close             to N79A. Ovary color: Close to 149D.         -   Seeds and fruits.—Seed and fruit development has not been             observed on plants of the new Pericallis. -   Disease & pest resistance: Plants of the new Pericallis have not     been observed to be resistant to pathogens and pests common to     Pericallis. -   Temperature tolerance: Plants of the new Pericallis have been     observed to tolerate temperatures ranging from about 5° C. to about     40° C. 

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct Pericallis plant named ‘Ochkeinibu’ as illustrated and described. 